February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
Keepers are also coming up more often these days and scoring goals on set pieces such as corners. There are lots of individual skills that keepers are now executing. And let’s not forget they can hit frees, and score spectacular goals.
But most important of all, the game has become more open with less time-wasting. New tactics have to be employed because of the rule. Teams have to be fitter and more aware of constant movement. The keeper has a limited time to get rid of the ball or, should we say, distribute the ball. Having only six seconds to use the ball quickens things up, thus players are more on their toes. That ball can come at you in a flash when up top at the other end. More and more counterattacks are being started by keepers.
Also, the reintroduction of the old rule that allows keepers to run with the ball in their hands anywhere in the box has added so much flavor to the game. It’s great to see keepers take full advantage of it. The counterattack has improved immensely here. The keeper’s role and the game itself has evolved because of these new ideas for the position.
Changing the offside rule has also lead to more scoring. Teams are far more comfortable playing low-pressure defense. In other words, they sit in with eight or nine defenders behind the ball, like Greece did in Euro 2004. If a player is level with a defender, then he’s on side. It used to be the other way around. Defenders cannot rely on linesmen to get that split decision right all the time, especially when playing the offside trap. The laws of average go against the defenders who rely on linesmen.
It’s the little things that come out of these changes that makes a difference. Ruud van Nistelrooy took advantage of this rule and stood behind defenses on free kicks outside the box. More and more players are doing this. If defenses try to slide back, van Nistelrooy and company have that advantage of being level. It means defenders have to slide back an extra stride and that’s a lot when in the box.
The better thought-out rule changes usually work and have a defining impact on the game. We have seen some that don’t always work. But it’s important to experiment. Without trial and error, there’s no evolution. Right now the keepers’ rules are where the game is changing the most.
What about outfield players? Are they helping the game evolve? Perhaps that’s another day’s work. It’s probably safer to find an individual or two and start with their impact on the game.
World Soccer magazine got it right when they named Ronaldinho World Player of the Year. Henry was definitely a player who deserved to be right up there in the final selection, as did Andriy Shevchenko. However, the Barcelona forward has proven himself on the international as well as the club level, whereas there is a question mark over Henry when it comes to playing for his country. Shevchenko has been sneaking around the Champions League, knocking huge winning goals for AC Milan, but he doesn’t have the magic feet that Ronaldinho and Henry have — that is, the sublime stuff.
Ronaldinho’s climb to the top was looking late to get the No. 1 vote. But Barca’s opening form this season has shot him to where he belongs. Few can deny he is the hottest player in the world.
While the top choices are indeed world class, the question is, has Ronaldinho helped the game’s evolution? You’d be hard pressed to name a player who can move the ball with his feet better than the Brazilian. Henry and even Cristiano Ronaldo can do the magic, but it’s usually sideways on, although Henry has more tricks than Ronaldo with the front of his boot. But Henry does not compare to Ronaldinho, especially when it comes to executing at speed, with the toes that is. The long-haired, goofy wizard has the last laugh on most if not all defenders he plays against.
This advanced foot skill has always been around. It’s that magical footwork that unbalances defenders, leaving some of them mesmerized. But Ronaldinho has taken it to the next level, which is not to say he hasn’t had someone like Pele to look up to. Of course, it could be argued that he is not the complete player that Pele or even Maradonna was. However, they did not move the ball with their toes the way Ronaldinho does. More and more players are trying these tricks. Before long, we’ll see such wizardry throughout the football world. We’ve already seen signs of it. When players in all positions start toying with the ball the way the above mentioned do we’ll see how big an impression they’ve made.
Greece was voted the best team because they won the 2004 Euro Championship. Their entire tournament plan was based on team defense. The surprise winners were an organized machine that had defending their own half almost down to a science. The simple tactic of making opponents go back once they enter your half is hardly rocket science, but it worked. It didn’t matter that they played against great players like Cristiano Ronaldo.
Jose Mourhino got the Manager of the Year award. Porto, his team last year, won the CL and now Chelsea are using a carbon copy of those tactics.